The St. Louis Cardinals are set to begin a new series in MLB this week. They are playing the Washington Nationals (at home), and after dropping their series with the San Francisco Giants earlier this week, it’s unlikely that the Cardinals will be headed to October.
Before the Nationals series started, the Cardinals announced a piece of Joshua Baez roster news.
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Cardinals Place Joshua Baez On IL
On Friday, the Cardinals announced that Joshua Baez has been placed on the 10-Day IL with a left oblique strain.
With just a handful of series left for the Cardinals, this IL designation could effectively (and likely) end the Cardinals’ top prospect’s season.
Baez had been removed from Wednesday’s game with side tightness, which is usually an easy sign that an oblique injury has occurred.
If this is it for Baez’s 2026 season, he is batting .230 with seven home runs, 18 RBI, 18 runs scored, and an OPS+ of 120.
His first stint of MLB action has been pretty good, as he got off to perhaps the best start possible with a three-home-run game in his MLB debut.
To the avail is few, Joshua Baez did slow down a bit at the plate (understandably), but the Cardinals will likely want to protect their top young talent for future seasons.
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More on Joshua Baez….
Here is a piece of Joshua Baez’s MiLB.com prospect bio, which showcases the impact he can have on a baseball field:
“A showcase circuit standout for his huge power, Báez joined the Cardinals as a second-rounder in 2021 and signed for above slot at $2.25 million. Wrist surgery held him back in his first full season in 2022, and he struggled to break out of the A-ball levels over the next two campaigns. He took one of the biggest leaps in Minor League Baseball in ’25 with a .287/.384/.500 line, 20 homers and 54 steals across 117 games at High-A and Double-A. He joined top overall prospect Konnor Griffin as the Minors’ only 20-50 players last season.”
Despite another disappointing season, the future of the Cardinals does look bright with Joshua Baez, JJ Wetherholt, and Jordan Walker.
St. Louis Cardinals Announce Joshua Baez News Before Nationals Series